Hawaii baseball team beats UC San Diego, 13-2

Saving the best for last, the Hawaii baseball team surged to 13-2 victory today over UC San Diego to earn a berth in this week’s Big West Championship tournament.

On senior day before a sell-out crowd announced at 3,029, shortstop Jordan Donahue hit two home runs, including a grand slam in a six-run third inning, a double and was credited with a steal of home as the Rainbow Warriors claimed the regular-season finale at Les Murakami Stadium. The home runs were Donahue’s third and fourth of his four-season career with the ’Bows.

Sebastian Gonzalez, Freddy Rodriguez and Isaiah Magdaleno combine on a five-hitter for the ’Bows.

UH and UCSD entered the final game of the three-game series with 15-14 Big West records. UC Irvine, Cal Poly, Cal State Fullerton and UC Santa Barbara had earned berths in the five-team tournament, whose winner receives the Big West’s automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament. The ’Bows, who will be the fourth seed, are designated as the “home” team against UC Santa Barbara in Wednesday’s opening-round game at Fullerton, Calif.

UCSD center fielder Michael Crossland, who missed Thursday’s series opener because of an illness, hit a bases-empty homer in the first inning.

But the ’Bows tied it on Xaige Lancaster’s RBI single in the second. It was only Lancaster’s second start since April 13.

In the third inning, the ’Bows broke away, scoring six runs for a 7-1 lead. Donahue’s homer in UH’s two-run fifth made it 9-1.

In the seventh, Donahue’s hit a double down the right-field line, his fourth hit of the game. Donahue went to third on Lancaster’s deep flyout. On a squeeze play, the pitch was out of the zone to Hunter Faildo, and Donahue was caught off third. But third baseman JC Allen mishandled the ball, and Donahue came home with UH’s 10th run. He was credited with a steal because he broke for home on the pitch.